Monday, February 7, 2011

AKG K601 Review!

Moving up in price from the m50's, but these are still well in the price range of anyone looking for a nice "mid-fi" pair of cans!

~250$

Open-Back Dynamic Design

45mm NdFe Driver

12-39,500 Hz Frequency Response

11' Cable

Comes with a 3.5mm -> 1/4' Jack Adapter

Comfort

This headphone should certainly cause you no problems with of an hour or two's worth of straight listening, if not more. The velour ear pads are soft, and clamping force is quite light. This has some drawback, as moving your head forwards too far can result in the headphone slipping a bit, and vigorous head-banging on any axis will move it easily, but this should be little issue for most users. The headband is just a flat piece of leather, and I have found it to cause some pressure discomfort over long wearing periods, but usually a slight repositioning will fix the problem for while on top of that.

Sound

Bass is where this headphone will be criticized most. While it extends fairly well, the impact can be put to question; when a recording gives you bass impact, the K601 usually comes out with it, but it can fall short sometimes, especially when a recording has been a little reserved in terms of bass response. It certainly won't suit the "bass head" type of listener.

Mid range is frankly superb, and the best part of the headphone's sound. Open and expansive, but somewhat lush at the same time, it really involves you. However, this comes with some penalty; there is some fuzz on the side of instruments, taking that clear edge off what you'd expect from reference headphones, and it can get a bit muddled depending on how many different sounds are thrown at it. Nonetheless, it still has a good deal of clarity and separation considering the headphone sits more in the "mid-fi" category.

While most describe the K601's treble as "non-fatiguing", this is not entirely true; where a recording has a tipped treble, you'll certainly notice it with this headphone. That being said, it's definitely not intrusive for the most part, and you shouldn't find your ears feeling really tired out after a good listening session with the K601. Again, as with the mid range, you lose that clear edge and more refined detail of a reference headphone, but the headphone is by no means lackluster in terms of over-all detail.

The K601 has a fairly wide sound-stage and sports an airy sound. Instruments will have good separation and positioning where recorded, though there is still a sense that things could be a little more accurate.

Personal Notes

This headphone is orientated for home usage, but you'll find portable players and low grade sound cards don't really do it justice, resulting in a lack of flesh and impact to the bass and treble especially. Pair it with a "mid-fi" source and amplifier, and it'll really supply you with some great audio. :)

Summary

Over all, the K601 performs well with several types of music, responds well to good equipment, and offers great comfort, all at a reasonable enough price.

PS!

This is slightly longer than the first review I did, but I enjoy these headphones so.. I took my time writing this. Let me know in the comments if you'd rather have short and concise reviews or long in-depth reviews, thanks!

I've been looking for some quality headphones for awhile now. My little iPod ear buds hurt like a mother after a certain amount of time wearing them. I'd buy the headphones you described in a second if I could afford them haha.